Might as well offer my dissenting opinion... I have a 17 MC expressly to still run the zuke motor. I also find the dropped chaincase on this model, and all of the 18+ mtn sleds from Cat to be worth having.
I do not find the notion of the new motor just sipping oil as a positive. These are 2 stroke motors and they live on oil. IMO, the less you use, the less time it is going to last. Polaris guys have been turning up oil pumps on Pro's for years. That is a crap engine design by comparison but oil helps 2 strokes live, end of story.
I wanted the narrower bodywork and boards, the dropped case and the Suzuki motor. The 17 MC is a GREAT machine. If the 18's continue to live through this season, I will be looking for an Alpha next season. I prefer not to be a beta tester for any manufacturer anymore. I did it with Polaris and got burned. I know the Suzuki will live a long life, I know the proclimb chassis is stout. I like to ride hard and prefer a well proven platform but with most of the new sleds perks.
As far as I am concerned the durability of the new motor is still a little suspect. Maybe that is an unfounded fear but the Suzuki is well known as one of the best 800 sled motors ever, you just can't go wrong with one of those. The new sleds don't have a lot of time on them yet. The jury is still out IMO. Power wise, they both get the job done. It isn't like the new one runs away from the old one, peak hp numbers are the same.